Diet Day 618

[darkemeralds]

Eighteen days ago, my diet trend looked like this:


Three weeks of tracking calories have reversed the trend.



Something clicks in metabolically after a week or so of tracking. The tracking makes me aware of my eating, and the awareness nudges me gently toward better food decisions (especially in the evenings), and the better food decisions result in a modest but consistent calorie decrease.

And after a couple days of slightly edgy hunger, there's a sudden very noticeable gear-shift, and that's when, slowly, slowly, the weight begins to drop again.

It's all much less dramatic and exciting now than it was 600 days ago. A lot of the inner work I did back then has proven to be remarkably lasting: I didn't stray far, and the course correction has been fairly small. I don't expect it's the last one I'll have to make, but I can do it. That's good to know.

Comments

[just_jes]

Most excellent!

(Graphs are so awesome.)

[darkemeralds]

Right? Hah! I don't think all types of people agree with that sentiment, but I love the one-glance grasp effect of a good graph.

[just_jes]

I replaced my android phone with an iphone a few months ago and literally the only thing I miss is the libra app. I found something similar for the iphone that also uses the HD as the basis of its trendline calculations so all the info displayed on the graphs is the same, it just doesn't do it as effectively. Or as prettily. Oh, libra.

I can completely appreciate that graphs and data and all the tracking is not for everyone, and I also keep so much more info stored in spreadsheets with graphs of my own making, but having a simple graph always with me (well, as much as my phone is mostly always with me) has been surprisingly invaluable. In bed at night, first thing in the morning, or out in the middle of the day that 'one-glance grasp effect' has proved to be such a useful reminder of "this is what I've done, and this is what might be possible if I continue on as I have been" when I need it.

[darkemeralds]

I love Libra--it's like my daily best friend. I'm sorry there's not an iOS version.

I've abandoned my more complex personal charts and graphs for this Next Phase of the weight loss plan, because they were all designed around continuity of data, and I just couldn't face re-starting them. One day I might, though, because they were so pretty.

And yes, it's sense of grounded reality and future possibility that makes graphing and charting so appealing to me, too. That's a great way of looking at it.